Senate approves Trump's Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch

Republicans refused to even vote on Garland's nomination, instead waiting for Obama to be out of office, letting the next President choose a nominee.

Gorsuch's confirmation essentially continues the ideological balance that existed before Scalia's death, with four conservatives, four liberals and Justice Anthony Kennedy as a swing vote between the blocs. Democratic senators are concerned about his ruling record as a judge in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, where he ruled conservatively on cases regarding religious freedom and civil rights.

The vote was 54 to 45 in favor of confirmation.

Democrats and some Republicans predicted dire fallout from McConnell's divisive Senate rules change that removed the 60-vote filibuster barrier for Supreme Court picks, warning of a more polarized Senate and court over time.

"In 20 or 30 or 40 years, we will sadly point to today as a turning point in the history of the Senate and the Supreme Court, a day when we irrevocably moved further away from the principles our founders intended for these institutions: principles of bipartisanship, moderation and consensus", Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said.

The Supreme Court says Gorsuch will be sworn in as the 113th justice on Monday in separate ceremonies at the court and the White House.

Even as Graham and other senior Republicans lamented the voting change, McConnell and some allies argued that all they were doing was returning to a time, not long ago, when filibusters of judicial nominees were unusual, and it was virtually unheard-of to try to block a Supreme Court nominee in that fashion.

The judge won support Friday from 51 of the chamber's Republicans as well as three moderate Democrats up for re-election in states Trump won last fall: Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Joe Donnelly of Indiana. Republican Senator Johnny Isakson missed the vote. Mr Thune supports the rule change to confirm Mr Gorsuch. Gorsuch's confirmation comes after Senate Republicans used the controversial nuclear option on April 6, allowing them to shockingly change Senate rules that paved through Democrats' filibuster.

The Senate change, affecting how many votes a nominee needs to advance to a final confirmation vote, will apply to all future Supreme Court candidates as well. But then in 2013, with Democrats in charge and Republicans blocking President Barack Obama's nominees, the Democrats did take the step, removing the filibuster for all presidential appointments except the Supreme Court.

Trump has recorded accomplishments since taking office on January 20, including a variety of unilateral executive actions such as moving to undo Obama's climate change regulations. Samuel Alito reported he sometimes had trouble finding his way around as a new justice, and the challenge was all the greater because the court was going through a major renovation at the time. His administration also has faced questions about any role the president's associates may have played in alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 USA presidential election to help Trump. His ascension will restore the nation's highest court to its 5-4 conservative majority. The court also is likely to tackle transgender rights and union funding in coming years.

At 49 years old, Gorsuch will be the youngest member of the court. And the last round of oral arguments for this term is scheduled to begin in just 10 days, on April 17. He also will become the newest member of the court's cafeteria committee, where replacing Kagan will be no mean feat. "Judge Gorsuch is a very conservative judge and not one that I would have chosen".

Share

Related Articles

Microsoft's mobile stint with the Windows Phone platform did not yield the company the kind of response it was looking for. As The Verge notes, PC makers could use Windows 10 Cloud to create computers that would challenge Chromebooks .

The three-story Chop House bar was packed full of patrons, some holding beers that were aged with baseball bat wood . Braves: OF Matt Kemp (right hamstring strain) had a more strenuous run on the bases before the game.

Runners who are blind, wear prostheses or have other challenges set off from Hopkinton, Massachusetts, on Monday morning. Jordan Hasay from the United States , who was making her debut in marathon clocked 2:23.00 for third place.

Boston Police Commissioner William Evans also ran for the first time since the Boston Marathon bombings. Fellow Swiss Manuela Schar shattered the women's mark by more than five minutes, winning in 1:28:17.

Last night's episode was the first time that SNL has aired live at the same time from coast to coast in the US. Anyway, it's a brand new episode being hosted by none other than The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon .

Two veteran Masters champions, Fred Couples and Phil Mickelson , 57 and 46 respectively, started Saturday in contention but faded. SHOT OF THE DAY Spieth hit a 5-iron off the pine straw and over the tributary of Rae's Creek on the par-5 13th to 30 feet.

Those who buy tickets after the album's release date, will have instructions emailed to them 7-10 days after purchase. In a big get for Kansas City, the Humanz tour includes a stop at the Sprint Center on Friday, September 22.

The search warrants state Prince was, in fact, "suffering from an opiate overdose", which necessitated the emergency landing . The search warrant that was briefly public notes that first responders started CPR on Prince before determining he was dead.

As hostilities in the region surge Trump has sent an aircraft carrier-led strike group to the Korean peninsula to press his point. North Korea's leadership has warned the USA it is "ready to hit back with nuclear attacks" if provoked.

Joely Rodriguez and Pat Neshek combined for two innings of relief, eerily allowing one hit and no earned runs or walks combined. Ruf was 11 for 31 with three home runs, three doubles and eight walks off Gonzalez, tormenting him while in a Phillies uniform.

Latest news

Israel Seizes 7000 Palestinian prisoners in Jails
Qaraq said more prisoners may join the hunger strike later today, which was planned to coincide with Palestinian Prisoners' Day . It quoted Erdan as saying that the demands regarding prisoners' conditions were unreasonable.

South African unions demand President Zuma resign
There has been a growing backlash against Zuma over his action to fire Pravin Gordhan from opposition parties and civil society. South Africa's embattled president Jacob Zuma has been backed by a major decision-making body within the ruling ANC.

What the Samsung S8 means for the iPhone 8
The front camera is getting a boost to 8-megapixel, from 5-megapixel, while the rear one stays at 12-megapixel. In addition, both S8 models are taller than their predecessors, but widths are roughly the same.

Penguins beat Blue Jackets in OT, grab 3-0 series lead
Counting his time in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season, Guentzel has 41 goals, 39 assists and 80 points in 76 games. The Sharks are just looking for any kind of goal after being shut out by Cam Talbot for a second straight game.

IPhone 8 mockup packs invisible selfie cam and 3D sensor
The display could cover the entire front panel with the bezels measuring 4mm and could come with a 2.5D curved glass as well . However, one of the leaked renders of the iPhone 8's back panel does not show any dedicated space for a Touch ID sensor.

What Taxes Will You Pay in Retirement?
ITIN Renewal - Taxpayers may need to renew expired Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers before they can file a tax return. But since this Monday is the Washington DC Emancipation holiday, you now have until Tuesday to file.